For Houston Schools, College Claims Exceed Reality: "Davis High School, where students averaged a combined SAT score of 791 out of a possible 1600 in 1998, reported that every last one of its graduates that year planned to go to college."
Reminds one of the Stalinist claims of agricultural production and election results. Houston, bastion of the Bush wing of the Republican party, has given us both a Potemkin corporation (Enron) and a Potemkin educational system.
Too bad there's still a free press, but on the other hand Fox's numbers look pretty good. Rove needs to put the Office of Strategic Information to work.
Meanwhile, at home in Saint Paul, school rankings promise to turn our schools into a Potemkin system, where the weak are hidden or eliminated and gaming the system is job one. Alas, I was so naive to support standardized testing; I imagined the information would actually be used wisely. (My wife only occasionally reminds me of my error.)
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
GraphicConverter 4.8.1: new crop for photo service feature
Lemke Software GmbH, Peine - About GraphicConverter
It's possible this feature was added because I asked for it. It appeared within a few weeks of a request I'd made on the discussion list.
You access the "Crop for Photo Service" from the browser. Browse a folder of pictures, select the ones you want to crop. From the context menu choose "Crop for Photo Service" and watch what happens.
An amazing! time saver.
It's possible this feature was added because I asked for it. It appeared within a few weeks of a request I'd made on the discussion list.
You access the "Crop for Photo Service" from the browser. Browse a folder of pictures, select the ones you want to crop. From the context menu choose "Crop for Photo Service" and watch what happens.
An amazing! time saver.
Scanners and OS X: Why things are the way they are
O'Reilly Network: Scanners and Mac OS X [Aug. 26, 2003]
I can affirm most of this from personal experience. Canon seems to have the best solutions at the moment, the PhotoShop Plug-Ins also work quite well with GraphicConverter.
I can affirm most of this from personal experience. Canon seems to have the best solutions at the moment, the PhotoShop Plug-Ins also work quite well with GraphicConverter.
Molly Ivins on the Wall Street Journal
Star-Telegram.com: "The Journal, in addition to meretricious arguments, vast leaps over relevant stretches of fact and history, and an awesome ability to bend any reality to its preconceived ideological ends, also offers that touch of je ne sais quoi, that ludicrous dogmatism that never fails to charm."
Wicked and accurate. I like most of the WSJ, but the editorial pages are so awful that I refuse to subscribe.
Wicked and accurate. I like most of the WSJ, but the editorial pages are so awful that I refuse to subscribe.
Syl Jones writing on Martin Luther King and the March on Washington
Syl Jones: A dream that has not yet come true: "Using quotes from the Bible books of Amos and Revelation, and African-American folk-pulpit references to the Egyptian pharaoh of old, King gave words to the suppressed longings of many Americans who yearned for racial justice. With the Telstar satellite beaming his words across the world, he swung into a confident rocking rhythm at the prompting of singer Mahalia Jackson: 'Tell 'em about the dream, Martin,' she said. And so he did."
Syl Jones is probably little known outside the Twin Cities, but by default and practice he's the voice of the local Black community. He's also an excellent writer, and this is one of his very good columns.
The 50 bombs in Birmingham reminded me that Terrorism was not invented in Munich; it's as old as humanity and was well refined in the American south.
Syl Jones is probably little known outside the Twin Cities, but by default and practice he's the voice of the local Black community. He's also an excellent writer, and this is one of his very good columns.
The 50 bombs in Birmingham reminded me that Terrorism was not invented in Munich; it's as old as humanity and was well refined in the American south.
Social Software
Social Software: "Wikis, Grafitti, and Process"
This is an interesting article -- it is the first comparison I'd seen between a "version control system" and a Wiki. The ability to "undo", combined with someone interested in maintaining the Wiki, explains how they can survive.
This is an interesting article -- it is the first comparison I'd seen between a "version control system" and a Wiki. The ability to "undo", combined with someone interested in maintaining the Wiki, explains how they can survive.
The Retreat from Iraq: USA Today leads the way.
USATODAY.com - Dial down U.S. involvement in Iraq
This is the first editorial I've seen calling for a retreat from Iraq. It correctly predicts that the south would then split from the center, but it doesn't mention that the North will as well.
I think this editorial reflects Rumsfeld's thinking and his original intent. I was unable to tell from a quick Google search whether Etzioni has any relationship to Rumsfeld.
This is the first editorial I've seen calling for a retreat from Iraq. It correctly predicts that the south would then split from the center, but it doesn't mention that the North will as well.
I think this editorial reflects Rumsfeld's thinking and his original intent. I was unable to tell from a quick Google search whether Etzioni has any relationship to Rumsfeld.
Was Rove behind the attack on Ambassador Joseph Wilson?
Mark A. R. Kleiman: "At the end of the day, it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs. And trust me, when I use that name, I measure my words."
Karl Rove is fingered as the man behind an alleged abuse of executive powers to attack an administration critic. Did Rove overstep?
Karl Rove is fingered as the man behind an alleged abuse of executive powers to attack an administration critic. Did Rove overstep?
Safari Quits Unexpectedly
Safari: Safari Quits Unexpectedly: "If behavior is back to normal, move the 'com.apple.quicktime.plugin.preferences.plist' to the Trash. It will be recreated as needed by Mac OS X."
This is an interesting knowledge base article, some of the OS X debugging advice is very generic. OS X seems to be very prone to "corruption" of preference (.plist) files, and the consequences seem fairly mysterious. To put it mildly this is not a healthy situation; why doesn't the OS validate preference files and detect corrupted files?
I get random Safari Quits every few days. It's as annoying as all get out, especially when I have 15 tabs loaded and I'm paging through them.
It will be interesting to see if the problem is addressed in the next major release (Panther).
This is an interesting knowledge base article, some of the OS X debugging advice is very generic. OS X seems to be very prone to "corruption" of preference (.plist) files, and the consequences seem fairly mysterious. To put it mildly this is not a healthy situation; why doesn't the OS validate preference files and detect corrupted files?
I get random Safari Quits every few days. It's as annoying as all get out, especially when I have 15 tabs loaded and I'm paging through them.
It will be interesting to see if the problem is addressed in the next major release (Panther).
Rumsfeld's "office of strategic influence" lives on.
Back In Iraq 2.0: When is a reporter not a reporter?
A scoop for "Back to Iraq". Gotta love Rummy's rhetoric -- his master of scornful dismissal is unequalled. Unsurprisingly the OSI never really went away. (Nor was it merely subcontracted to Fox News.)
For that matter, I rather doubt that "total information awareness" has gone away.
On other fronts, neither Microsoft's "Palladium" nor "Passport" has gone away.
Deleting the name, and moving some bodies around, is a very good way to manage the American media and the American public.
A scoop for "Back to Iraq". Gotta love Rummy's rhetoric -- his master of scornful dismissal is unequalled. Unsurprisingly the OSI never really went away. (Nor was it merely subcontracted to Fox News.)
For that matter, I rather doubt that "total information awareness" has gone away.
On other fronts, neither Microsoft's "Palladium" nor "Passport" has gone away.
Deleting the name, and moving some bodies around, is a very good way to manage the American media and the American public.
Treating gum disease lowered premature births by 84%?
BBC NEWS | Health | Dental care 'cuts early births': "A study published in the Journal of Periodontology showed treating severe gum disease with scaling and root care cut premature births by 84%."
Hugh?! 84% is huge, but there were only @360 participants in the study. I wonder if they were selected for high risk of premature birth or for poor dental care. I suspect that this is poor journalism rather than a figure that could be extrapolated to the population at large.
On the other hand, bad gums are known to shower the bloodstream with a constant stream of bacteria. These bacteria are thought to lodge in a number of places, including arterial plaques (hence playing a role in atherosclerosis) and in the placenta (hence aging the placenta and possibly precipitating premature birth and/or pre-eclampsia). So the effect is not entirely implausible.
To put it mildly more research is needed. If this is born out it will be very good news for dental hygeinists. It's also great news for health care costs. The costs of care for a 30-32 week infant will pay for a LOT of peridontal cleanings.
Red wine, olive oil, and clean gums. The secrets to longer, happier lives? Hey, it's easier than exercise!
Hugh?! 84% is huge, but there were only @360 participants in the study. I wonder if they were selected for high risk of premature birth or for poor dental care. I suspect that this is poor journalism rather than a figure that could be extrapolated to the population at large.
On the other hand, bad gums are known to shower the bloodstream with a constant stream of bacteria. These bacteria are thought to lodge in a number of places, including arterial plaques (hence playing a role in atherosclerosis) and in the placenta (hence aging the placenta and possibly precipitating premature birth and/or pre-eclampsia). So the effect is not entirely implausible.
To put it mildly more research is needed. If this is born out it will be very good news for dental hygeinists. It's also great news for health care costs. The costs of care for a 30-32 week infant will pay for a LOT of peridontal cleanings.
Red wine, olive oil, and clean gums. The secrets to longer, happier lives? Hey, it's easier than exercise!
Monday, August 25, 2003
Resveratrol (Red Wine), Olive Oil (Favones) -- medicine doesn't get any better than this.
Ok, we'll hear far more about this soon. A few points of interest.
1. Rx qSupper: A glass of New York or Burgundy Pinot Noir along with bread dipped in fine (flavone rich) Olive Oil. Ahhh. I can't think of a more enjoyable form of medication.
2. Air exposure seems to destroy the Resveratrol. This is a nuisance, most of us aren't going to drink a bottle a day! I don't know if the inert gas preservatives help. Probably cheap, highly stressed New York Pinot Noir in a plastic bag dispenser might work best. :-)
3. Resveratrol is produced by wine in response to stress, it keeps the grape alive in stressful conditions. Sounds a lot like its putative function in animals. Does this mean that its fundamental function predates the division between plants and animals, or between chloroplasts and mitochondria? Do bacteria produce resveratrol in response to environmental stress? (Resveratrol, oddly enough, has been thought to be used as antifungal agent by grapes.)
4. Does this remind one of Woody Allan's Sleeper? (The sleeper awakes to learn that steak and cigarettes are healthy.)
5. Would bottled grape juice (European style) work as well? (And be less problematic?)
6. What if Gallic "superiority" is not merely a cultural trait, but rather a side-effect of Resveratrol? Well, that's only a problem for other people ...
Study Spurs Hope of Finding Way to Increase Human Life
1. Rx qSupper: A glass of New York or Burgundy Pinot Noir along with bread dipped in fine (flavone rich) Olive Oil. Ahhh. I can't think of a more enjoyable form of medication.
2. Air exposure seems to destroy the Resveratrol. This is a nuisance, most of us aren't going to drink a bottle a day! I don't know if the inert gas preservatives help. Probably cheap, highly stressed New York Pinot Noir in a plastic bag dispenser might work best. :-)
3. Resveratrol is produced by wine in response to stress, it keeps the grape alive in stressful conditions. Sounds a lot like its putative function in animals. Does this mean that its fundamental function predates the division between plants and animals, or between chloroplasts and mitochondria? Do bacteria produce resveratrol in response to environmental stress? (Resveratrol, oddly enough, has been thought to be used as antifungal agent by grapes.)
4. Does this remind one of Woody Allan's Sleeper? (The sleeper awakes to learn that steak and cigarettes are healthy.)
5. Would bottled grape juice (European style) work as well? (And be less problematic?)
6. What if Gallic "superiority" is not merely a cultural trait, but rather a side-effect of Resveratrol? Well, that's only a problem for other people ...
Study Spurs Hope of Finding Way to Increase Human Life
... So far Dr. Sinclair and his colleagues have shown only that resveratrol, the chemical found in red wine, prolongs life span in yeast, a fungus, by 70 percent. But a colleague, Dr. Mark Tatar of Brown University, has shown, in a report yet to be published, that the compound has similar effects in fruit flies. The National Institute of Aging, which sponsored Dr. Sinclair's research, plans to start a mouse study later in the year.
... Resveratrol, ... is unstable on exposure to the air and "goes off within a day of popping the cork."
... Resveratrol is synthesized by plants in response to stress like lack of nutrients and fungal infection. It exists in the skin of both red and white grapes but is found in amounts 10 times as high in red wine as in white because of the different manufacturing process.
According to "The Oxford Companion to Wine," pinot noir tends to have high levels of the chemical, cabernet sauvignon lower levels. "Wines produced in cooler regions or areas with greater disease pressure such as Burgundy and New York often have more resveratrol," the book says, whereas wines from drier climates like California or Australia have less.
Besides resveratrol, another class of chemical found to mimic caloric restriction is that of the flavones, found abundantly in olive oil, Dr. Howitz said.
Faughnan's Notes
I added a Google toolbar for searching the blog, but Google has not yet indexed the new blog address. I've resubmitted for indexing, Google seems to do blogspot updating within 1-2 weeks. Until then it won't be a very valuable search tool!
Sunday, August 24, 2003
Friedman on Iraq: Failing at the Big One
Fighting 'The Big One'
In the matter of Iraq, I've been somewhat to the left of Friedman. Still, he's made some good arguments. Back when I merely distrusted and disliked George Bush, I conceded I could imaging "facts"that might have led me to support invasion -- but I had no trustworthy access to any such facts. (Later it turned out neither did George Bush, but that's another matter.)
So I'm not always that far away from Friedman. He knows much more than most, and he spends time in Iraq and the middle east. I always listen to him.
Here I'm in full agreement with him. To invade Iraq was a debateable matter, but the mishandling of friends (gratuitious alienation is the perfect phrase) and the abysmal incompetence of the Rumsfeldians is not a matter for debate. To make such a weighty and terrible choice, but then to plan the consequences on the basis of wishful thinking, ignorance, and malice...
I only hope that those "entangled networks" I write of are as strong as I speculate -- so that wiser heads than Bush/Rumsfeld will see us through. (What the heck is Bill Gates doing with his billions anyway? Can't he buy us a better government?!)
We may fail, but not because we have attracted terrorists who understand what's at stake in Iraq. We may fail because of the utter incompetence with which the Pentagon leadership has handled the postwar. (We don't even have enough translators there, let alone M.P.'s, and the media network we've set up there to talk to Iraqis is so bad we'd be better off buying ads on Al Jazeera.) We may fail because the Bush team thinks it can fight The Big One in the Middle East — while cutting taxes at home, shrinking the U.S. Army, changing the tax code to encourage Americans to buy gas-guzzling cars that make us more dependent on Mideast oil and by gratuitously alienating allies.
We may fail because to win The Big One, we need an American public, and allies, ready to pay any price and bear any burden, but we have a president unable or unwilling to summon either.
In the matter of Iraq, I've been somewhat to the left of Friedman. Still, he's made some good arguments. Back when I merely distrusted and disliked George Bush, I conceded I could imaging "facts"that might have led me to support invasion -- but I had no trustworthy access to any such facts. (Later it turned out neither did George Bush, but that's another matter.)
So I'm not always that far away from Friedman. He knows much more than most, and he spends time in Iraq and the middle east. I always listen to him.
Here I'm in full agreement with him. To invade Iraq was a debateable matter, but the mishandling of friends (gratuitious alienation is the perfect phrase) and the abysmal incompetence of the Rumsfeldians is not a matter for debate. To make such a weighty and terrible choice, but then to plan the consequences on the basis of wishful thinking, ignorance, and malice...
I only hope that those "entangled networks" I write of are as strong as I speculate -- so that wiser heads than Bush/Rumsfeld will see us through. (What the heck is Bill Gates doing with his billions anyway? Can't he buy us a better government?!)
Minnesota million dollar homes: Marker for a new aristocracy?
MN Star Tribune 8/23/03: More people are buying homes that cost a million dollars or more
This is an interesting article. The Bush Estate Tax repeal will accelerate a dynamic of wealth concentration that seems to have picked up in the 1970s and has been driven by the 20th century economic boom, the lifespans of those born between 1920 and 1940, and the unprecedented expansion of "winner take all" economic marketplaces. [1]
What will our society look like in 20 years? Will it look like the egalitarian mythos of 20th century America, or more like post-industrial England? I'm betting on a powerful and ascendant aristocracy, with a lot of openings for governesses, chefs, groundskeepers, athletic trainers, tutors, travel aides, butlers, etc.
Well, tutoring the gen-elite children of a the aristocracy will probably pay better than bagging groceries (which will be done by robots anyway ....).
john
[1] Winner take all economics has been a popular research domain in the past 20 years. It applies to CEOs, sports superstars, ace programmers, and in many other domains. I think most economists expect network effects to continue to amplify this trend.
They're popping up all around the Twin Cities: Atop the hills of Medina; along Lake Minnetonka's shoreline; facing the Minneapolis skyline from its hills and lakes, and along the Mississippi River. And, of course, in Edina, the original exclusive suburb.
Big, fabulous houses. Houses with walls of windows, acres of landscaped yards, kitchens to die for. Million-dollar houses, multimillion dollar houses. Rare in the Twin Cities 25 years ago, now they're all over. Where do they come from? Who buys them?
As recently as five years ago, million-dollar home sales were a rarity in the Twin Cities market. Today, there are more than 300 for sale, maybe more -- the 300 are just those listed through a Realtor...
A combination of skyrocketing land costs and soaring labor expenses has dovetailed with an insatiable appetite for luxury and the richest generation the United States has ever seen. As an estimated $2 trillion to $11 trillion dollars moves from one generation to the next in inherited wealth, baby boomers are looking for a place to sink their new-found riches. ....
"Why not live in your bank?" asked Minneapolis architect Garth Rockcastle, and some boomers are. Many are expressing an increasing willingness to invest a greater share of their wealth in real estate.
"We're looking at a period of prosperous times," said Tom Jones, a real estate agent with 25 years' experience in upper-end homes. "In the last five or six years, more people are interested in spending significant amounts of money to restore or enhance old classic houses or to build new residences at that same structure and construction level."....
That's no longer true. Thanks in large part to a healthy economy and the lowest mortgage interest rates in history, more than 75 percent of the households in Minnesota own their homes.
Many who buy million-dollar houses are immune to interest rates -- they often pay cash -- low rates combined with rising income have caused an incredible surge in demand for all housing during the past decade....
Baby boomers -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- comprise the largest sustained population growth in the history of the United States. And they're now in their peak earning -- and spending -- years...
According to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, during the past year 182 houses sold for more than $1 million. That doesn't include new houses and those not listed through the Regional Multiple Listing Service. Five years ago there were only 59 and a decade ago only 25 (adjusted for inflation)....
This is an interesting article. The Bush Estate Tax repeal will accelerate a dynamic of wealth concentration that seems to have picked up in the 1970s and has been driven by the 20th century economic boom, the lifespans of those born between 1920 and 1940, and the unprecedented expansion of "winner take all" economic marketplaces. [1]
What will our society look like in 20 years? Will it look like the egalitarian mythos of 20th century America, or more like post-industrial England? I'm betting on a powerful and ascendant aristocracy, with a lot of openings for governesses, chefs, groundskeepers, athletic trainers, tutors, travel aides, butlers, etc.
Well, tutoring the gen-elite children of a the aristocracy will probably pay better than bagging groceries (which will be done by robots anyway ....).
john
[1] Winner take all economics has been a popular research domain in the past 20 years. It applies to CEOs, sports superstars, ace programmers, and in many other domains. I think most economists expect network effects to continue to amplify this trend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)